With the phenomenon of social media continuing to grow in our growing technological world, there is a major increase of traffic on the inter webs as a whole, specifically social networking websites. Each and every day, new applications are being formatted and created in order keep the connection of people around the world together. “Social media has emerged in our world today as the new paradigm for connecting to information, people, and ideas” (SAGE Journals). In the process of finding a social media niche, many people have started to meet new friends along the way. In a recent report, Pew Research Center found that more than half of all teenagers said that they’ve made friends online, at 57%. As exhibited by the graph on the right, 51% of people have made over two friends, and nearly three-in-ten teens (29%) have said that they they have made more than five friends this way. (Pew Research).

Social media websites have become very popular places for teenagers to mingle with other teenagers. A majority of teens say social media platforms have made them feel more connected to their real friends’ lives and feelings, as well as bond with internet friends. The Pew Research Center continued their report, saying that “online friendships, which often form within teens’ extended networks, are generally OK as long as teens balance the interactions, stay safe and realize the limitations. In fact, the trend could continue as social media grows in scope and popularity.” With the internet only continuing to gain more users and expand as an industry, it is logical that internet friends will continue to grow as well.

Many of the online friends that people make are people they’re already connected to in some way, said Amanda Lenhart, associate director of research at Pew and author of the study. This helps establish a common ground for the friendship. They’re often friends or relatives of peers, or have common interests. On the website Twitter, many people make parody or fan accounts dedicated to certain celebrities, causes, and athletes to show their support, and for pure enjoyment. Having these accounts help link them to other similar parody accounts, and friendships are formed.

Not only do Twitter accounts need to be for recreational purposes, but some are used to help inspire and save the lives of others. According to the International Business Times, “Kasey Lemley, an 18-year-old student at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, said she was having a rough time at home when she decided to make a second Twitter account. She couldn’t find many mental health resources in her small town, so she started @TheHelpHotline, which now blasts its 30,000 followers with motivational messages throughout the day. People frequently message her looking for someone to listen, and she does.” Originally, Kasey was looking for a way out of her struggles. Now, she not only has found a way out, but is providing a way out for 30,000 others, and is truly an inspiration.

Many people struggle with different social anxieties, and meeting friends in general. Sometimes encounters in person may be uncomfortable. and can prevent those friendships from forming. Online relationships can help children get beyond the difficulty that can occur when they first meet. This process allows them to get to know each other and become comfortable. For people who are or socially anxious, it gives them time to learn about the other person. The process also allows them to practice their “people skills”, and to prepare themselves for if the friends ever decide to meet in person (Psychology Today).

I decided to conduct an experiment on the social networking website Twitter. At the time I started, I had 13.8 thousand followers and I sent out a tweet saying: 

After nearly one hour, I had 69 “favorites” on the tweet, with people tweeting me back their stories of how they have met their best friends through the internet. After nearly 3 hours, 81 “favorites” were made on the tweet. It truly shows the power of the social media as well as the internet, and how true friendships do not need to be formed in person in order to be strong.

As a teenager, many people look to try to find themselves and their true identities; they want to know who they are, where they fit in with the world, and where they belong. One problem with internet friendships is that sometimes parents may get in the way of teenagers meeting people online, and prevent that process. Parents become concerned about the safety of their children, and the consequences their children may face if they truly befriend people they have never met before. However, most parents forget that most of the time, these are real people too. “They’re just as good as real-life friends,” Kasey Lemley said. “You create a bond with them.” Parents may be worried, but experts aren’t concerned. It is important for teens to realize that they need to be careful, not be naive, and watch out for internet predators. Because online friendships are done behind a screen, it is important to remember to remember safety. Teenagers, in order to take safe precautions, are now using technologies such as Facetime and Skype to video chat with online friends, to make sure they are real people too.

Having a high self-esteem is important in order to promote self-worth, and every human being enjoys feeling good about themselves. A study was done by the University of Pittsburgh and the Columbia Business School to determine how social media can impact people’s lives, and how the effects can impact them socially and emotionally. The results found that users who use social media to focus on their close friends usually experience an increase in self-esteem when and after browsing (The Social U). This is where internet friends come into factor. Internet friends may not know you physically in person in the beginning of the friendship, but the bonds they have can grow stronger than any real-life friendship. By having a friend that does not judge you from the second you meet by what you are wearing, how you act, and what you look like, your self-esteem is guaranteed to go up.

A sad reality to internet friends is that most will never meet in person. Many people are connecting with friends from not only their local area, states, and country, but across the globe. The means of video chatting and text messages will be the fullest extent of their friendships. The Pew Research Center found most friendships that are made online, stay online. Only one in five teens have actually met an online friend in person. However, for those 20% of people that do have the chance to meet, the results are magical:

Sources:

http://sms.sagepub.com/content/1/1/2056305115580148.full.pdf+html

https://www.bulldogreporter.com/social-psychology-social-media-may-inflate-self-esteem-and-reduce-self-control-new-/

http://thesocialu101.com/the-relationship-between-social-media-and-self-worth/

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/08/06/6-key-takeaways-about-teen-friendships-in-the-digital-age/

https://support.twitter.com/articles/215585

https://support.twitter.com/articles/106373

http://www.ibtimes.com/online-safety-teens-are-internet-friends-good-thing-2052238

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201302/are-online-relationships-healthy-young-people

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